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Landscape Design ยท Auburn, CA
Drawn to the canopy.
Built to the slope.
Auburn's wooded foothill lots reward landscape work that listens โ to the existing
oaks and pines, to the natural drainage, and to the rhythms of a town that
values its ridge-and-canyon geography.
Sierra Foothills ยท Wooded Estate Lots ยท 16 miles ยท ~22 min from Rocklin
Home / Landscape Design / Auburn
Landscape Design ยท Auburn, CA
Drawn to the canopy.
Built to the slope.
Auburn's wooded foothill lots reward landscape work that listens โ to the existing oaks and pines, to the natural drainage, and to the rhythms of a town that
values its ridge-and-canyon geography.
Sierra Foothills ยท Wooded Estate Lots ยท 16 miles ยท ~22 min from Rocklin
Local Practice ยท Auburn
The studio behind
every Auburn project.
Auburn projects begin in the woods. Existing canopy, granite-and-clay slope, and a strong sense of regional identity all shape what the landscape can be โ and our design-build approach is suited to making the new work feel as if it grew there.
Our 35+ years of foothill experience inform the practical details: which oak species tolerate excavation, which decomposed-granite pathways hold on slope, and which lighting strategies preserve dark-sky character.
Explore the four disciplines of our design-build practice โ every Auburn engagement draws from all of them.
Why Auburn Is Different
Existing canopy preservation
Most lots inherit oaks and pines worth more than the entire built improvement. We design around them and tag-protect throughout construction.
Slope-and-drainage composition
Granite-clay subsoil drains poorly when disturbed. We engineer french drains, swales, and retaining walls to daylight downhill predictably.
Dark-sky lighting
Auburn's culture values its night sky. Our lighting design uses shielded fixtures and warm color temperature to illuminate without polluting.
Neighborhoods We Know
From Our Studio
16 miles ยท ~22 min from Rocklin from the Lavish Gardens studio in Rocklin. Most Auburn projects receive weekly on-site design walks during the build phase โ proximity that shows up in the finished work.
Local Practice ยท Auburn
The studio behind
every Auburn project.
Auburn projects begin in the woods. Existing canopy, granite-and-clay slope, and a strong sense of regional identity all shape what the landscape can be โ and our design-build approach is suited to making the new work feel as if it grew there.
Our 35+ years of foothill experience inform the practical details: which oak species tolerate excavation, which decomposed-granite pathways hold on slope, and which lighting strategies preserve dark-sky character.
Explore the four disciplines of our design-build practice โ every Auburn engagement draws from all of them.
Why Auburn Is Different
Existing canopy preservation
Most lots inherit oaks and pines worth more than the entire built improvement. We design around them and tag-protect throughout construction.
Slope-and-drainage composition
Granite-clay subsoil drains poorly when disturbed. We engineer french drains, swales, and retaining walls to daylight downhill predictably.
Dark-sky lighting
Auburn's culture values its night sky. Our lighting design uses shielded fixtures and warm color temperature to illuminate without polluting.
Neighborhoods We Know
From Our Studio
16 miles ยท ~22 min from the Lavish Gardens studio in Rocklin. Most Auburn projects receive weekly on-site design walks during the build phase โ proximity that shows up in the finished work.
Services in Auburn
The four disciplines, calibrated for
Auburn.
Hardscape Design & Construction ยท Auburn
Terraces, walls, and pavements engineered to a 50-year standard โ drawn, specified, and built by a single studio.
Water Features & Ponds ยท Auburn
Cascading waterfalls, koi ponds, and architectural basins designed as the garden's gravitational center.
Luxury Xeriscaping ยท Auburn
Sculptural natives, decomposed granite paths, and water-smart sophistication โ the antithesis of gravel-and-yucca xeriscape.
Outdoor Living Environments ยท Auburn
Kitchens, fireplaces, and shaded pavilions designed as architectural extensions of the home โ not afterthoughts on the patio.
Auburn Questions
What homeowners ask before we start.
Arborist-mapped critical root zones, fenced no-equipment areas, hand-dug excavation within drip lines, and pier-supported hardscape outside compaction-sensitive root mass. Slow, deliberate, defensible.
Foothill slope is core to our practice. We engineer terraced retaining walls, design switchback walking paths, and detail drainage so the landscape works with the topography rather than against it.
Always. Our planting palette is screened for ignitability and zoned to CalFire's 0 / 1 / 2 standard from the design phase, so the finished landscape passes inspection on first walkthrough.
Yes โ fully shielded fixtures, warm color temperature, and motion-smart controllers that keep ambient sky glow to a minimum. Auburn culture demands it; we agree.
Services in Auburn
The four disciplines, calibrated for
Auburn.
Hardscape Design & Construction ยท Auburn
Terraces, walls, and pavements engineered to a 50-year standard โ drawn, specified, and built by a single studio.
Water Features & Ponds ยท Auburn
Cascading waterfalls, koi ponds, and architectural basins designed as the garden's gravitational center.
Luxury Xeriscaping ยท Auburn
Sculptural natives, decomposed granite paths, and water-smart sophistication โ the antithesis of gravel-and-yucca xeriscape.
Outdoor Living Environments ยท Auburn
Kitchens, fireplaces, and shaded pavilions designed as architectural extensions of the home โ not afterthoughts on the patio.
Auburn Questions
What homeowners ask before we start.
How do you protect mature oaks during landscape construction?
Arborist-mapped critical root zones, fenced no-equipment areas, hand-dug excavation within drip lines, and pier-supported hardscape outside compaction-sensitive root mass. Slow, deliberate, defensible.
Can you handle steep, forested Auburn lots?
Foothill slope is core to our practice. We engineer terraced retaining walls, design switchback walking paths, and detail drainage so the landscape works with the topography rather than against it.
Will my project comply with CalFire defensible space?
Always. Our planting palette is screened for ignitability and zoned to CalFire's 0 / 1 / 2 standard from the design phase, so the finished landscape passes inspection on first walkthrough.
Do you do dark-sky lighting?
Yes โ fully shielded fixtures, warm color temperature, and motion-smart controllers that keep ambient sky glow to a minimum. Auburn culture demands it; we agree.
Also Serving
Neighboring estates we work
with the same care.
The same crew, the same studio, the same 35+ years of context โ applied across every premium address in our region.
Loomis
Placer Wine Country ยท Rural Estate Lots
Explore โ Placer CountyPenryn
Placer Wine Country ยท Small-Acreage Estates
Explore โ El Dorado CountyEl Dorado Hills
Sierra Foothills ยท Hillside Estates
Explore โ Placer CountyLincoln
North Placer ยท Master-Planned & Acreage
Explore โAlso Serving
Neighboring estates we work
with the same care.
The same crew, the same studio, the same 35+ years of context โ applied across every premium address in our region.
Loomis
Placer Wine Country ยท Rural Estate Lots
Explore โ Placer CountyPenryn
Placer Wine Country ยท Small-Acreage Estates
Explore โ El Dorado CountyEl Dorado Hills
Sierra Foothills ยท Hillside Estates
Explore โ Placer CountyLincoln
North Placer ยท Master-Planned & Acreage
Explore โBegin
Schedule your Auburn site visit
with Michael & Susan Cole.
Michael & Susan Cole
FOUNDERS
Rocklin, CA ยท 35+ years
Begin
Schedule your Auburn site visit
with Michael & Susan Cole.
Michael & Susan Cole
FOUNDERS
Rocklin, CA ยท 35+ years
Premier landscape design-build studio. Owned & led by Michael & Susan Cole. Rocklin, CA ยท 35+ years.
Michael & Susan Cole
founders
Rocklin, CA ยท 35+ years
Hardscape
Outdoor & Sustain
Water & Light
Landscape Design ยท Service Area
ยฉ 2026 Lavish Gardens Landscape ยท Michael & Susan Cole
Rocklin, CA ยท CA Lic. #1110575 C-27 Landscape Contractor
Premier landscape design-build studio. Owned & led by Michael & Susan Cole. Rocklin, CA ยท 35+ years.
Michael & Susan Cole
FOUNDERS
Rocklin, CA ยท 35+ years
Hardscape
Outdoor & Sustain
Water & Light
Landscape Design ยท Service Area
ยฉ 2026 Lavish Gardens Landscape ยท Michael & Susan Cole
Rocklin, CA ยท CA Lic. #1110575 C-27 Landscape Contractor